"It's a good night for us, of course," Sir Alex told MUTV moments after the final whistle had blown at Goodison Park.

"But what I'm most pleased about is our own performance. I thought our football was terrific. We kept our composure, we were very patient. Okay, we won with two penalty kicks but I think the manner in which we played our football was the most important thing.

"It's still early doors [in terms of the title race]. It's only the last day in January. I always say that March is a very important month, as well as the beginning of April. We play Manchester City in April, for instance."

There's a long way to go before that, and next on the Reds' agenda is a trip to Stamford Bridge on Sunday 5 February. It's a match for which Sir Alex hopes he'll be able to recall a trio of players who missed the Stoke run-out on Tuesday night.

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